HOLLYWOOD actress Kirsten Dunst gave one little boy a treat during a visit to Crete arranged by a Whitley Bay charity.

Joshua Mann had his picture taken with the Spider-Man actress after meeting her while she was on the island filming her latest movie, The Two Faces of January, co-starring Viggo Mortensen.

Joshua and his family, from Spennymoor in County Durham, were enjoying a break in the sun laid on by the Sara’s Hope Foundation, founded to offer respite breaks to children and young people battling cancer.

The charity was set up in memory of Whitley Bay teenager Sara Hoburn after she died in 2001 at the age of 16 from a form of colon cancer.

Joshua’s is one of 22 families to have visited the retreat since it was opened last summer.

Charity founder Ged Hoburn said it was a pleasure to see the young patients and their families enjoying quality time together.

He said: “We spend a lot of time with the families out there, and we see them blossom.

“A holiday is something the families never thought they would be able to have, and you see them laughing together and enjoying themselves, and it’s probably something they have never done for months.”

Families visit the charity’s villa from all over the north east, and it has even branched out and welcomed families from further afield.

All are given clearance from doctors to attend the foundation’s villa.

To help the charity keep going, Ged and his wife Julie hold numerous fundraising events, and they are hosting their annual ball on Saturday, November 3, at the Marriott Hotel in Gosforth.

Comedian Brendan Healey will perform on the night, along with the Paul James Band and singer Shauna Gallon.

Tickets for the event are £65 each, with discounts available for tables of eight, ten or 12.

For more information or to book a ticket, call the foundation on (0191) 300 1423.